St John the Baptist, Whitbourne, Worcestershire

The Situation: St John the Baptist Church is the parish church for the large village of Whitbourne, in NE Herefordshire.It had no toilets, and no facilities for making coffee or serving refreshments. The number of pews meant that there was not enough space for other activities. The reredos in the church was falling off the wall, and the masonry on the tower was becoming dangerous.

Vision/goals: To add a kitchen and toilets with a meeting room above, to repair the reredos and tower, to install an audio loop, and to move the rood screen to the back of the church. To make the church a more useful and welcoming place for all.

What was the funding strategy? The total cost of the project was £218,500. £30,000 was money accumulated from bequests to the church. English Heritage gave £100,000; the Heritage Lottery Fund gave £53,000, and Rural Churches in Community Service provided £25,000. The Eveson Trust supplied £5,000 for disabled facilities, and the rest of the money was raised by concerts and a flower festival.

What lessons were learnt? There was an overspend on the tower repairs because the state of the masonry was worse than expected, which has delayed the planned refurbishment of the bells

Outcomes: The tower masonry is now safe and the reredos secured to the wall.
The north aisle of the church was altered to provide a meeting and social area with kitchen and toilet space, with a small first floor meeting room above. The church is now used for all sorts of community events, and by the local school.

Stairs to the Meeting Room

Increase in congregation: There has been an increase in the regular congregation

Social Cohesion: The ‘church community is much more confident’, and social events can take place more easily. The village fete and flower show are held there.

Any future plans for the building? To refurbish the church bells, and to build a car park.

Many other people may be interested in what you have achieved and may like to get in touch to talk to you or arrange to pay a visit? Are you willing to be contacted and if so, can you give details of a contact person? The Reverend David Howell or Brenda Allan.

Top Tip : always look at www.churchcare.co.uk